Last season, an Achilles' heel for the Colorado Avalanche was their last line of defense.
To rectify their shaky goaltending situation, the Avs sent first- and second-round draft picks to Washington for netminder Semyon Varlamov. They also signed free-agent veteran Jean-Sebastien Giguere to a two-year deal to be the backup and to provide guidance for the young Varlamov.
Somebody apparently forgot to tell the 34-year-old Giguere this is 2011-12, not five or more seasons ago when "Jiggy" was one of the elite between the pipes.
Named the league's third star of the week just after Christmas, Giguere is 9-5-0 in 16 starts with a .927 save percentage and a 1.96 goals-against average. In 26 games, Varlamov is 13-13-1 with a 2.96 goals-against average and .900 save percentage.
"The situation was perfect for me here. I knew that I wasn't going to get a No. 1 job somewhere, so the next best-case scenario was to (come here) where I can help him out and push him, too," Giguere said. "I thin...

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